Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: isopatch who wrote (181782)	5/28/2015 11:38:14 AM
From: TideGlider	2 Recommendations Recommended By FJB isopatch Respond to of 224755

Can Obama Change Obamacare Without Congress’ OK? in Politics Email thisShareThis Related Articles Daily Presidential Tracking Poll Few Voters Favor Keeping Health Care Law As Is Should Obamacare Be Delayed Until Courts Are Through With It? Voters Oppose Obama Acting Alone But Don’t Think House Can Stop Him Voters Say Obama Shouldn’t Act on Immigration Without Congress Should Obama Ignore the Federal Courts? Sign up for free daily updates Thursday, May 28, 2015 A federal judge today will hear arguments in a lawsuit that argues the Obama administration violated the Constitution when it changed portions of the new national health care law without Congress’ approval. It’s the first ever lawsuit by the full House of Representatives against a sitting president. Only 22% of Likely U.S. Voters told Rasmussen Reports last summer when the lawsuit was filed that the president should be able to change a law passed by Congress if he thinks the change will make the law work better. Sixty-three percent (63%) said any changes in a law should be approved first by Congress. But voters were evenly divided when asked if they favored or opposed the House’s decision to sue the president to stop some of his executive actions on the grounds that they exceed the powers given him by the Constitution. Perhaps that was partly because only 30% thought it was even somewhat likely that the lawsuit would stop the president from taking executive actions on initiatives he proposed that Congress refused to go along with. Since then, Obama has announced that he is protecting up to five million illegal immigrants from deportation, another executive action that critics, primarily Republicans, charge is unconstitutional. They contend the president is choosing not to enforce a law passed by Congress, while he insists he has that prerogative because Congress refuses to fix a broken immigration system. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters think the federal government should only do what the president and Congress agree on when it comes to immigration, but 33% say the president should take action alone if Congress does not approve the initiatives he has proposed. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. Most voters have consistently said that when it comes to dealing with issues the president considers important to the nation, the government should only do what he and Congress agree on. Sixty-nine percent (69%) think any changes a president wants to make in a law should be approved first by Congress. Not surprisingly, Democrats are much more willing to let Obama act alone than Republicans and unaffiliated voters are. It’s not unreasonable to assume, however, that Democrats and Republicans would reverse their positions if a GOP president was in office. But it’s perhaps more alarming to note that one-in-four of all voters think the president should even have the right to ignore federal court rulings if they are standing in the way of actions he feels are important for the country. In that same survey, 31% say it is more important for government to operate efficiently than it is to preserve our constitutional system of checks and balances. Nearly twice as many (59%) place more importance on maintaining checks and balances. The system of checks and balances between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government was designed by the Founding Fathers to assure that a consensus was achieved before national legislation could be implemented, but presidents of both parties have complained over the years about the challenges of getting things done in such a system. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Americans think the Constitution should be left alone. Thirty-three percent (33%) believe minor changes are needed in the nation's foundational document. Four percent (4%) feel major changes are necessary, while two percent (2%) think the United States should scrap the Constitution completely and start over. Unrelated to today’s federal court hearing, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the next month on a lawsuit challenging the subsidies provided for some Americans to purchase health insurance under the new health care law. It will be a serious setback for the law if the court upholds the challenge. Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters believe implementation of the health care law should be put on hold until all legal challenges of it are exhausted. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree, while 14% are not sure.